A Singapore panel is looking into whether brakes should be required for all bikes, after a teen died while riding a fixed-gear bike, or fixie.

published: OCT 29, 2020

Are fixies more dangerous to ride than typical bikes?

WHAT ARE FIXIES?

Fixed-gear bikes don’t usually have hand-operated brakes and rely on the riders pedal resistance to come to a halt. Riders learn the skill of skidding to a stop.

FOR SERIOUS RIDERS

Fixies are what competitors whizzing around velodromes use.

Adapted for the street, they’re fun and challenging to ride, easier to maintain, and look sleek, say fans.

FIXATION ON FIXIES

Premium Rush, a movie about courier riders on fixed-gear bikes, depicted hardcore riding back in 2012.

The movie may have influenced inexperienced riders to hop on the trend.

NOT FOR EVERYONE

But fixed-gear bikes are not for the very young, the inexperienced, and the unfit, said the founder of a popular cycling group in Singapore.

Singapore’s Active Mobility Advisory Panel is looking into whether brakes should be required for bikes. This follows the death of a teen who fell from height when she crashed into a railing at a multi-storey carpark while riding a fixie. The review is expected to be completed soon.

MORE ON THE ACCIDENT
MORE ON THE ACCIDENT

BANNED

Fixies are banned or face restricted use in some countries, including Britain, Germany, and Denmark.

Ride safely

So don’t get a fixie just because it looks cool, make sure you know what you’re doing.

MORE ON THE REVIEW OF FIXIES
MORE ON THE REVIEW OF FIXIES

SOURCE: ST REPORTS BY CHRISTOPHER TAN AND CARA WONG; TNP FILE PHOTO; VIDEOS BY YOUTUBE/KIKO HERNANDEZ, YOUTUBE/LOCKEDIN AND YOUTUBE/SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

PRODUCED BY: DENISE CHONG

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